When I went to Citizen Cake on Fillmore a few months after it opened, the space was practically dead. Two months after Troya opened in that same space, the place was packed.

Logically it would seem that the food of a celebrity chef, Elizabeth Falkner, could easily trump a second branch of a Turkish restaurant that opened in 2006 at Clement and Fifth Avenue, but that hasn't been the case.

Owners Berk Kinalilar and Brigitte Cullen have done everything right. The atmosphere has a finished look, even though they made only modest adjustments. When it was Citizen Cake, the space, which was previously the home of Vivande, felt unfinished. Now it has a modern feel, with exposed brick walls and a series of high-tech/industrial lights with clear filament Edison bulbs.

The owners also added a wainscoting of horizontal wood strips and extended the 10-seat bar. There are still a few awkward spaces in the narrow 40-seat room, especially around the communal table in front, but the interior now exudes a welcoming aura.

The food seems to resonate with the neighborhood, too. Chef Philip Busacco, who was chef de cuisine at Terzo for six years, is spreading his wings at Troya, offering 16 mezes, three flatbreads, three kebabs and four larger plates.

Good combinations

His combinations have a light California sensibility, but still evoke the Mediterranean flavors that are so coveted in the Bay Area. This style of food is underrepresented here, and he does a good job of bringing it to a wider audience.

One simple but satisfying example is sliced Persian cucumbers ($7) with radishes, red onions, chunks of black olives and dill vinaigrette. The dish helps to balance and cool the spicier offerings, such as the Turkish-spiced green beans ($8), cooked al dente, with chunks of the sauce clinging to the beans and a tangle of braised onions on top. It takes a while for the spice to kick in, but once it does, it's hard to stop popping the crunchy beans into your mouth, then wait for the gentle explosion of heat, to be cooled by the yogurt sauce. Another dish of roasted cauliflower ($8) with scallions and urfa, a dried Turkish chile, was equally compelling.

These are all part of the meze category on the menu, which also feature such items as puffy Turkish bread ($2) with a garlicky hummus ($5), excellent zucchini fritters with mint and yogurt ($7), and smoky grilled halloumi cheese ($9) balanced by slices of juicy nectarines and warm whole almonds glistening in oil. The meatballs ($7) are both spicy and salty, in a bold sauce with hadarim and pickles.

However, a few dishes, such as the black lentil and bulgur salad with orange vinaigrette ($7), and the braised lamb dolmas with pomegranate molasses and tahini sauce ($8), sounded better than they tasted.

3 flatbreads

The menu also features three flatbreads ($11). The version with feta cheese and arugula is shaped like a submarine, with the sesame seed-dusted dough curling up around the edges the way you'd see in a galette. It's a nice pairing of salad and bread. The lahmacun flatbread was more like a small pizza, with a thin smear of minced beef seasoned with chiles, garlic, onions and paprika and topped with a pile of dressed greens.

The rest of the savory menu is made up of kebabs and larger plates. The chicken kebabs ($13), made from Mary's organic chicken, include chunks of yogurt-marinated meat alternating on the skewer with squares of white onions and red bell pepper. The spiced coating on the chicken makes it look almost like salmon, even in texture, but its flavor belies that look.

There's a similar treatment of lamb ($14) threaded with onions and zucchini on eggplant puree; and grilled vegetables ($11) served with a bulgur salad.

The larger plates always include moussaka ($16), where the traditional lamb is replaced with beef, covered with fleshy slices of eggplant and topped with a spicy bechamel, creating a very successful reinvention of this classic dish.

Braised chicken ($16) has an earthy appeal, with a thigh and leg on top of hazelnuts, garbanzo beans and a sauce spiced with coriander. Another signature is the Turkish beef dumplings ($16) bathed in a paprika butter with drizzles of yogurt; they're at once comforting and exhilarating, with just enough spice to be interesting.

On several nights, the fish of the day was grilled salmon ($17) with varying accompaniments, including a succotash with corn, squash and walnuts.

For dessert, (all $7) the chocolate espresso pot de creme has a pleasant bitterness; and the kunefe has a cakelike texture, with shredded phyllo and mozzarella. Baklava is shaped like pinwheels to resemble mini cinnamon rolls, with honey and pistachio between the layers. It's served with ice cream.

Deft service

Service at Troya is studied and well advised. The staff brings plates and extra utensils as needed, and when things begin to lag, as they might on busy nights, they let you know the status of the order. Generally the pacing makes for a pleasant, relaxed evening.

Kinalilar, Cullen and Busacco should be given kudos for raising the bar at their second location, and for bringing a stylish version of Mediterranean food to Fillmore Street.

That might be obscure for some diners, but there are plenty of cuisine-friendly selections from California, France, Italy and other countries.

Familiar names include the 2010 Duckhorn Decoy Merlot ($50) and 2010 Joseph Drouhin Macon Villages ($35), which seems high when you can buy it for retail at $13.

Three beers are available on draft ($4.95): Trumer Pilsner, Speakeasy Prohibition and Lagunitas PA. There are also three bottles ($3.50): Erdinger, a nonalcoholic beer, and two from Turkey - Efes Pilsner and Efes dark.

Corkage is $15, but is waived for every bottle purchased from the list.

Prices are based on main courses. When entrees fall between these categories, the prices of appetizers help determine the dollar ratings. Chronicle critics make every attempt to remain anonymous. All meals are paid for by The Chronicle. Star ratings are based on a minimum of three visits. Ratings are updated continually based on at least one revisit.